Improvement in swinging framestifr supporting hammocks



I A. B; HOLMES; Swinging Frames for Supporting Hammocks,

' No.198.942. Patented Jan. 8,1878.

e/ a f Z PETERS. PHUTO-UTNDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D C

"Athena, Bl Holmes;

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lorf-rrswiea nissiosesms f l a a Specification forming of Letters Patent No. 198342;datedJanuaryS,1878 application .i t July 26, 1877. a

To all whom itmay concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT B. HOLMES, of Ipswich, in the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a Swinging Frame for Supporting Hammocks, of which the following is: a full, clear, and exact description, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings,making part of this speci-.

fication, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of a hammock attached to a swingingframe constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of my hammock-supporting frame folded up when not in use 5 Fig. 3, a view of thesupporting-legs folded up. A

To provide a means by which a hammock may be hung up in any desired location, and be taken down and removed therefrom with facility, is the object of my present invention; which consists in a beam or frame composed of two portions pivoted together, and provided with braces, the several parts being so constructed as to allow of their being folded compactly when not in use, or when they are to be transported from place to place, the frame being also provided with one or-more adjustable guys, by which the head of the hammockmay be readily elevated to any desired point above its foot, this frame being suspended from the tops of a series of inclined legs, which may be folded together, and form a portable support for the hammock-frame, or the frame may be suspended by a hook or other device directly from the ceiling, or from any other convenient desirable point.

To enable others skilled in the art to understand and use my invention, I will proceed to describe the manner in which I have carried it out. 7

In the said drawings, A A represent four inclined legs, having their tops secured together by straps a and bolts b, the inner faces of these tops being so beveled that they will snugly fit each other, and terminate in a point,

i c, the whole forming a square pyramidal support or standard, cl is a hook or chain, placed directly under the apex or point 0, the ends of the hook or chain being secured to opposite straps a. B is a beam or frame, composed of two long strips, h, pivoted together at 2', at

which point the frame is provided with a'hook,

l, which is caught over the hook or chain whereby the frame is suspended from the tops of the standard or support.

At a point about two-thirds g) the length of each strip h from its inner end is pivoted the outer end of a' brace, m, the inner end of which is provided with a projecting pin, a, which enters a hole formed for it in the other strip, this hole being located about one-third the length of the strip from its inner end, by which construction a strong and rigid beam or frame is provided, to the opposite ends of which the hammock G is secured by means of eyes 9 and hooks 'r.

The two legs A, near the end of the support, where the head of the hammock is located, are each provided, at a short distance from the bottom, with an eye, 8, through which passes one end of a guy, if, the bight thereof being caught over a hook, u, fixed in the under side of the opposite end of the frame B, near the eye 19, the two ends of the guy being provided with adjustable cleats '0, through holes in which the guy is made to pass, whereby the length of each portion of the guy may be increased or diminished, and the end of the frame at the head of the hammock be lowered or elevated to any required height, to suit the comfort and convenience of the occupant of the hammock, this guy allowing the head and central portion thereof to swing freely, and at the same time limiting the vibration of its foot.

Should the guy, near its bight, interfere with the motion of the foot of the hammock, the ends of the guy may be led around outside the legs A, contiguous to the foot of the hammock, instead of leading inside directlyto the end of the frame or beam B.

To facilitate the operation of swinging the hammock when occupied, a line, w,is provided I with a hook at its upper end, caught in an eye,

y, in the frame, and with a handle, 2, at its lower end, for the hand to grasp, the line being guided down through an eye, 5, in the nearest leg A.

' When the hammock and its support are to be taken down, the hooks r are detached from the eye 10, the frame or beam unhooked from the standard or support, the pins n of the braces m withdrawn from their holes in the strips h, the bight of the guy detached from its hook, and the frame and its braces then folded. compactlytogether, after which the legs are brought together and placed beside them,.

and the guy and hammock wound or wrapped around them, ready for removal. 7

- My flame may be used independently of the legsorsupporting-standardAA. Forinstance, it may be hooked'to an eye on the under side of a' branch of a tree, or in a ceiling or other suitable place, ,if desired, without departing from the spirit of my invention, and the guy t may be dispensed with; but I prefer to employ it, as therebyfithe height of the head of the hammock can be instantly regulated as desired.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The beam or frame B, composed of strips h and braces m, and provided-with a hook or other means of hanging it inplace, .andwith devices, or means at its extremities for attaching a hammock thereto, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the legs or supporting-standard A A, the frame or beam B, and

ALBERT B. HOLMES.

In presence of- N. W. STEARNS, W. J. CAMBRIDGE. 

